The Spokane County chapter of the Washington Cattlemen’s Association is resuming its monthly meetings.
The association at a March 9 meeting will introduce local and state leadership, and share information about recent legislative campaigns affecting the beef industry, in addition to upcoming networking and marketing opportunities.
A Washington Beef Commission staff member will be in attendance to answer questions about programs. An allied industry representative will also be available to share efforts to support and protect Washington’s beef industry.
The meeting is open to the public and will be held from 6-8 p.m. at 222 N. Havana St. in the WSU Extension building.
Attendees are asked to RSVP to district representative Jesse Ingels at (509) 367-8495.
Airbnb reports big fourth quarter after rough 2021
Airbnb reported a $55 million profit for the fourth quarter, reversing a huge loss a year earlier, as its revenue soared above pre-pandemic levels.
The San Francisco-based short-term-stay company said bookings surged in small towns and rural areas, and improved even in urban areas, which were hit hardest earlier in the pandemic.
Airbnb hosts were also able to raise prices. The average daily rate in late 2021 was $154, a 20% jump from a year earlier and 36% higher than the same quarter in 2019.
The company cited strong demand for rentals in North America and an ongoing shift toward customers booking entire homes and vacation destinations where prices are usually higher.
Airbnb said the omicron variant of COVID-19 had less effect on bookings and cancellations than last year’s delta variant.
Virus cases are still at high levels in the United States, but the San Francisco-based company said summer bookings made by the end of January were running 25% ahead of the same time in 2019, before the pandemic.
Airlines and many other travel-related companies were hurt by the surge in COVID-19 cases that began in December, with the rise of omicron.
In January, U.S. air travel remained more than 20% below 2019.
Travel industry executives say, however, that they expect business to bounce back once omicron fades.
Expedia Chairman and CEO Peter Kern said last week that omicron was less severe and shorter than previous waves of the coronavirus, and he predicted “a solid overall recovery in 2022, barring a change in the trajectory of the virus.”
Intel buying Israel-based chip maker for $5.4B
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Intel said it is buying Israeli company Tower Semiconductor for $5.4 billion in a deal that could give the California chipmaking giant an edge in the business of making custom-designed chips.
Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger said Tuesday that acquiring Tower will help expand Intel’s newly formed “foundry” business that makes microprocessors for other firms.
Intel will “benefit from that decades of experience that Tower brings in how to run a global foundry,” Gelsinger said on an investor call about the deal.
Tower, based in Migdal Haemek, Israel, specializes in making analog chips used in cars, mobile devices and in industrial, medical and military sectors.
The companies said it could take a year for the deal to close. It’s been approved by each company’s board of directors but will face scrutiny from government regulators and must be approved by Tower’s shareholders.
Amid growing demand for semiconductors and an ongoing global chip shortage, Santa Clara, California-based Intel said the deal also will help expand its manufacturing capacity and global footprint.
From staff and wire reports
